Certificate in General Education Studies (CGES)

Montclair State University is excited to establish its first credential-granting inclusive postsecondary education comprehensive transition program in Fall 2024. The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) allowed for the development of college programs such as the Certificate in General Education Studies (CGES) to support the needs of the under-served group of individuals considered to have intellectual or developmental disabilities who are college-bound. Programs such as this are designed to empower students to realize their higher education and life potential.

To stay informed about CGES updates, please complete the Interest Form.

CGES Program Description

The Certificate in General Education Studies (CGES) provides an inclusive educational experience that features a wide array of academic, social, and recreational opportunities at Montclair State University. The CGES program curriculum is a representation of the academic undergraduate degree programs and includes a student-driven selection of courses in the liberal arts and sciences followed by study in a self-selected area of concentration. The program also includes a supported work experience related to students’ ambitions in career or continuing education. Instructional programming and support are provided to ensure the student’s success in credit-earning coursework.

CGES Program Components

•   Exploring the Liberal Arts: Students will select courses from different areas of the liberal arts and sciences undergraduate core curriculum. Through this component, students will gain academic enrichment and explore areas of study.
•   Student Success: Through orientation, continuous support, and college transition programming, students will have the opportunity to continuously develop and refine their personal goals. Person-centered planning is used to enable self-direction and self-advocacy for active engagement in student life and the use of campus support services. Students will plan and pursue college opportunities related to academic, social, service, employment-focused, and recreational experiences.
• Concentration: Students will choose a concentration area of study to explore different majors and career paths. The Discovery Program tracks are careers-focused and include: a) Education, Service, and Society, b) Management & Technology; c) Health, Wellness, & Sciences; d) Arts, Culture, and Design.
• Career Preparation: Students will participate in an experiential learning course that takes place in an internship, externship, or other supervised work shadowing experience, which will provide hands-on practice with the skills learned. Students will also take a group seminar focused on career and workplace learning.
•   Free Electives In addition to the array of courses students will choose to fulfill the program requirements, they may also take free electives to follow their passions or seek out new interests to grow personally, develop academic skills, and become marketable in the workforce.

CGES Program Curriculum

The Certificate in General Education Studies is recommended as a 2-Year Plan with total credit hours of 36-41 credits. Students will be required to register for more than six college credits each semester, and courses vary from 1-college credit to 4-college credits depending on the concentration.

Sample 2-Year Plan Schedule